Blog

Many sectors are undergoing digital transformation. As a result, industries are looking for 'convergence talents'. In response to this, universities are also focusing on creating convergence talents by actively conducting research that converges fields that were previously separated into engineering, medicine, and social sciences.

In the past, students who wanted to enter US engineering schools or US medical schools often had to study biology, but in the last five years, there has been a growing demand for students who have experience in research using engineering research methodologies that utilize 'artificial intelligence' and 'data'.

For example, how will new drugs be created in this era of digital transformation? In April 2022, German biotech company Evotec announced the first clinical results for a new anti-cancer molecule. The trial was conducted in collaboration with Exscinetia, an Oxford, UK-based company that has developed AI technology for molecular drug discovery. which has developed AI technology for molecular drug discovery.
[LINK to 'Tapping into the Drug Discovery Potential of AI' #Exscinetia]

A process that originally took 4-5 years was completed in 8 months based on Exscinetia's Centaur Chemist AI artificial intelligence tool. In this clinical trial, the synthesis, testing, and optimization processes required to develop a new drug were carried out using computing technology that classifies and compares various properties of small molecules. In other words, the interface between 'engineering' and 'medicine' is growing very rapidly. In particular, multinational companies in the medical field that need to quickly develop new drugs are looking for creative talent who can efficiently use AI technology more than anyone else, rather than classical experts who follow past knowledge.

Partnerships between pharmaceutical companies and AI companies are "blossoming across the industry right now," says Jim Weatherall, vice president of data science and AI R&D at AstraZeneca, which is known for developing the coronavirus vaccine. The drug discovery industry is growing rapidly with the adoption of AI. AI is becoming a partner with drug discovery companies to understand the science, share the risk, and create synergies like no other. Students who want to pursue graduate studies in medicine can maximize their value by learning AI as an undergraduate and applying computing skills to their future careers in medicine or biotechnology.

GIRE's artificial intelligence new drug development program, which can be connected to both engineering (technology) and new drug development (biotechnology, medicine), allows students who wish to enter prestigious American engineering schools to demonstrate 'experience in contributing to human society using technology.' In particular, if you plan to go on to medical school or Pharm D in the United States after completing your undergraduate degree at an engineering school, you can create more powerful storytelling than anyone else.

Looking at recent trends in admissions to prestigious U.S. universities, high test scores are required for all applicants, so research experience is essential for clear differentiation. However, not all studies show positive effects. Research that is far from the student's field of interest or has little relevance to plans, or simply put, 'inauthentic' research can have a negative effect. Therefore, how to ‘story’ a student’s research is of utmost importance.

GIRE's program can provide the most powerful story for students who plan to utilize healthcare convergently with the biomedical engineering field. If a student with a dream of contributing to human health and welfare through engineering has produced outstanding research results in this field, the school cannot help but grant admission.

[I recommend this program for the following students]

▶Students who wish to attend a prestigious engineering school in the U.S.

▶Students who wish to attend a top U.S. engineering school and then go on to a top U.S. medical school.

▶Students who want to attend a top engineering school in the U.S. and then go on to a top pharmacy school (Pharm D).

▶Students who want to work as a researcher at a multinational company utilizing AI.

▶Students who want to become AI scientists in drug discovery

▶Students who want to work in drug development at international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), and Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

▶Students who want to major in computer science

▶Students who want to study engineering and need a powerful story to tell.

If you apply for this research consulting program, you will be able to conduct research at the forefront of drug development using computing, such as experimenting with deep learning to predict drug reactions and side effects, analyzing graphs to evaluate drug similarities, and thinking about how to use AI to contribute to human safety and survival.

[These are the topics of Sheng’s current research]

▶Poisoning scientific knowledge using large language models (2023)

▶A foundation model for bioactivity prediction using pairwise meta-learning (2023)

▶Enhancing Hi-C contact matrices for loop detection with Capricorn, a multi-view diffusion model (2023)

GIRE Grace Global Research Consulting is the only company in Korea that offers research internships and consulting directly from consultants who are active faculty members at the world's top universities.